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Zero to Hero - Neighbor made Diamond in a month


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This evening I ran into an older gentleman at the community clubhouse who lives seasonally where I live. I had not seen him in a while and knew part of his winter snowbirding meant cruising, usually to somewhat exotic locations or on smaller ships. So I asked him how this winter was treating him and about his travels and he said he had just made Diamond on RCI. I said that's great, I did too; I just went on my first cruise as a Diamond member, first time on a RCI ship was 1992, blah blah.

 

I asked him how long it took him....a month. He booked 4 cruises in a row on Oasis as a single in a GS. He said they offered him a cheapo deal on an OV cabin so he decided to stay a 5th week and gave up the CL access but had access to the Diamond lounge. He went from 0 cruise points (Had never sailed with RCI) to now had 98 points (by my calculation.

 

I don't even want to KNOW what it costs to travel as a single in a GS for a month. I asked how he liked it and he said "Oh, it was very nice." Gotta love it. I asked why five weeks on a ship and he said he was intrigued to see all the shows and everything on the ship, as opposed to world traveling. Said it took him about 3 weeks at a casual pace to see and do everything and then 2 weeks just relaxing and didn't bother to disembark at ports. I asked how he liked the ports and he said "Jamaica is a lovely port to sit in the Solarium of the ship at"

:D

 

I guess you can't die with it...

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That is awesome

Depend ant on exact date sailed could technically get 105 by my calculation with double in December as it encompasses cruises that overlap at beginning and end of the month, so although technically 31 days in December 5 weeks is 35 days so if they all qualify he could have 3x35 = 105 points.

 

Wish I had the time to do that:D

 

Good luck to the guy. I hope he gets to repeat it sometime soon.

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This was Feb to March (and no D in D this year anyways).

 

By my math it was 3 pts per day in the GS (28 days) and 2 pts per day in the OV (7 days). He was onboard for 5 weeks straight.

 

Do you get 3 points per day if traveling solo then? In suite and 2 for everything else - I never knew that

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Do you get 3 points per day if traveling solo then? In suite and 2 for everything else - I never knew that

 

Since October the policy has been 1 extra point per night awarded to Solo's paying a supplemental rate. Suites (JS and above) give 2 points + 1 point bonus for solo. Regular rooms give 1 point + 1 point bonus for solo.

 

Many people here call it triple and double points but the reality is they are bonus points and not technically triple or double.

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Since October the policy has been 1 extra point per night awarded to Solo's paying a supplemental rate. Suites (JS and above) give 2 points + 1 point bonus for solo. Regular rooms give 1 point + 1 point bonus for solo.

 

Many people here call it triple and double points but the reality is they are bonus points and not technically triple or double.

 

That's good seeing as they pay full fare and the points are not going to someone else.

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We did a TA in late 2011.

 

We met a young lady who claimed to be the youngest Pinnacle C&A member, she'd nursed her father until he died then went cruising big time, those suite points add up fast.

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More power to him.

Four weeks solo in a GS on Oasis may have cost more in cruise fare than many other diamonds have spent in fares over the course of many years.

Just the thought makes my checkbook pucker:D

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Good for him. As an aside, there are 2 fashionable gentlemen cruising for 6 straight months on the Adventure of the Seas when we cruised in Feb. ,12 out of San Juan. Saw them again on the Mediterranean Serenade itinerary in August '13 and were scheduled for 3 months.

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If I were retired maybe I'd like to go that long, but, even then, I think I'd likely change ships about half way through. That way I'd get new entertainment options and possibly some different ports, too. For example, a couple weeks on IOS then move the same day to Allure for the rest of the time. Or two weeks on Oasis then an overnight in Fort Lauderdale (that would also give time to catch up on personal business, phone calls, and such), then board Allure the next day for the rest of the vacation. Ahh, to have such choices would be sweet.

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Nice for him but for my money, I would have chartered a private Cat in the BVI for 2 weeks including open bar, all meals, and gone to all the smaller remote islands. ;)

 

This gentleman has seen the world and many exotic places. I was surprised at his stage in life (I do not know his exact age, but certainly 70+) to learn he never cruised on Royal before knowing that he liked to travel. This was just part of his annual "winter break" as he called it.

 

I wonder if he's adopting...

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We were on AOS last December doing a B2B. The "two fashionable gentlemen" mentioned previously were onboard, having sailed over from Barcelona on the TA repositioning cruise. They were indeed on for 5 straight months. The rumor was that they were in a GS, with an across-the-hall inside booked for clothes storage. ;)

 

We were sailing with friends who made Pinnacle on that cruise, and these two were also recognized at the C&A party where our friends were presented with their Pinnacle award.

 

Just makes you realize the truth of that old saw about "different strokes for different folks". We are D+ and truly love cruising, but if I had to stay on the same ship, repeating the same itinerary, eating the same meals (at the same table -- which, by the way, was a 2-top with their special condiments laid out for them each night), I'd lose my mind. Not to mention how much weight I'd gain!

Edited by lacruiser
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Jorgen and Juan, I expect.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Correct, I couldn't remember their names. I know one is form Malaga and the other, I don't if true, is royalty from Denmark.

 

Ps. For us in the metro area, it's got to be cheaper than an assisted living facility or a nursing home.

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